LU football hosts first scrimmage

The Lamar University football team closed out the second week of preseason camp with a scrimmage at Provost Umphrey Stadium on Aug. 12. The closed scrimmage lasted nearly 90 minutes before the coaches wrapped up the workout, focusing on the two-minute offense.

Although the depth chart has not been set in stone for the season opener at North Texas, the LU coaching staff got an opportunity to look at the roster in numerous game scenarios.

The offense finished the day with three touchdowns and two field goals but had an opportunity for more points. The Cardinals turned the ball over inside the five-yard line and missed two field goals from 47 and 48 yards.

“We’ll know more once we take a look at the film from today, but I was pleased with some of the things the offense did,” said LU head coach Mike Schultz. “There were some mistakes, but we will get those corrected. The quarterbacks were not live, but there were some things they did run wise that were decent. We also had some moments where we pushed the ball down the field, but again, we want to get in and break down the film.”

“We had too many penalties and some missed tackles, but that is to be expected in your first scrimmage. Our communication also has to get better on the field,” added Schultz.

The LU quarterbacks completed 14 of 32 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Adam Morse finished the day 5 of 7 (.714) for 136 yards and two touchdowns, while senior Andrew Allen completed 4 of 9 passes for 77 yards a score. Transfer Darrell Colbert was 3 of 7 for 27 yards but also threw an interception.

The Cardinals’ second scoring strike of the day came from Morse. The Port Neches-Groves product connected with true freshman Myles Wanza for a 65-yard touchdown – the longest of the day. One of two receptions for Wanza, he finished the scrimmage with 71 receiving yards. Wanza also proved himself a threat out of the backfield, carrying the ball four times for 30 yards.

In a throwback to their days at PN-G, the final touchdown pass came when Morse connected with high school teammate Caisen Sullivan from 16 yards out near the end of the scrimmage.

The offense also carried the ball 28 times for 232 yards. In addition to Wanza’s performance, transfer quarterback Darrell Colbert proved himself a dual threat, carrying the ball seven times for 48 yards, while sophomore Kendrick King had six carries for 70 yards.

Junior Chaston Brooks led the defense with four tackles, while Beaumont freshman Reggie Boseman added three stops and a sack. Boseman was one of six Cardinals to record a sack Saturday morning. Sophomore Daniel Crosley was also credited with three stops.

Junior college transfer Nate Jones recorded the interception. A transfer from Tyler Junior College, Jones also had two tackles.On special teams, the Cardinals converted 2 of 4 field goals. Freshman Elvin Martinez connected on two 37-yard attempts. Senior Manasseh Miles was responsible for the blocked kick.

Men’s hoops

Before leaving for Costa Rica, head coach Tic Price stressed to his team that this was a business trip, not a vacation. While there would be moments to relax, there was work to be done. The players apparently took that message to heart, defeating the Costa Rican National Team, 87-57, on Aug. 14. The Cardinals raced out to a 27-point first-half lead and never let the overmatched team of Costa Rica’s best back into the game.

“We played a very good first half of basketball,” said Price. “We were unselfish with the ball, finishing the game with 26 assists.”

The Cardinals shot 39 percent from the field, knocking down 32 of 83 attempts, while holding Costa Rica to a 30 percent (21-of-69) performance. The Cardinals did significant damage from beyond the arc, knocking 12 three-pointers, while holding their hosts to just two. LU also outrebounded Costa Rica, 49-37.

Leading Big Red was Louisiana Tech transfer Da’Shawn Robinson. The senior finished the night with 18 points and was one of four Cardinals in double figures. Classmate Colton Weisbrod added 13 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore Cameron McGee scored 12 points. Senior Joey Frenhwood was the fourth Cardinal in double figures, adding 11 points and dishing out a game-high 8 assists. James Harrison, another transfer on the Cardinals’ 2017-18 roster, added 9 points on 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Cardinals spent the early part of the day visiting with children at the Asociasion obras Del Espritu Santo orphanage. The coaches and players visited with the children, playing games and bringing smiles.

Women’s soccer

Kelso Peskin put on quite an exhibition in an exhibition game on Aug. 13 against UL Monroe.

Peskin scored four goals to power the Lamar University women’s soccer team to a 6-1 win over the visiting Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at the LU Soccer Complex in the only preseason tune-up.

“Of course, it’s wonderful to score four goals in my first game at Lamar, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” said Peskin, who transferred to LU after two seasons at Tyler Junior College. “This is a team effort. It doesn’t matter who scores the goals, as long as we win.”The Cardinals dominated the Warhawks from start to finish, outshooting ULM 32-4 and holding a 19-3 advantage in shots on goal for the game.“What a turnaround from last season when we didn’t have a shot in the entire first half against ULM.” said coach Steve Holeman. “We’re more dynamic this season, and we have more depth.”The Warhawks got their only goal of the game at the 66:33 mark when Rahel Zerazion beat LU goalkeeper Rachel Gries on a breakaway after being set up by Danielle Sabathe.“It’s nice to get the win, but we have to keep things in perspective; it’s just an exhibition game,” Holeman said. “I saw some good things, but I saw some things we need to clean up.”Senior goalkeeper Lauren Lovejoy played the first half for the Cardinals, blanking the Warhawks while making one save over 45 minutes. Gries made one save in the second half for LU.LU will open the season at home Friday, Aug. 18, against Southern University at 7 p.m. then play UL-Lafayette on Sunday, Aug. 20, at 6 p.m.

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